World Cup trophy comes to China for Spanish Pavilion Day at Expo

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Strolling through the splendid Euro Square dotted with various shiny Expo pavilions, there lies a fanciful building that may catch your eyes at the first glance.

It is the National Pavilion of Spain, one of the hottest pavilions.

As Spain celebrates its National Pavilion Day on Monday, let's venture into the bizarre building to see all things Spanish.

As hot as she is, the pavilion, which looks like a flowing furbelow of a flamenco dancer, is one of the largest national pavilions at the Shanghai Expo and the world's first wicker-weaved structure.

Strolling inside the "Basket", with sunshine penetrating through the wicker, you may enjoy the diversity of light and shadow while soaking up the glamour of the southwestern European nation.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on Monday wowed Chinese visitors at the World Expo by bringing something no other global leader has-- the FIFA World Cup. The World Cup was on display in China for one day only to mark Spain day at the Expo.

The pavilion contains three exhibition halls sub-themed "Origin", "Cities" and "Child". They take visitors through the time and space of the development of the cities in Spain, with the main theme "From the City of Our Parents to the City of Our Children."

One of the highlights of the Spain Pavilion is live flamenco dancing. The fiery display takes place on the same stage that hosts a six-minute film, which is a mixture of nature, passion, sports and arts, designed to explore the "origin" of Spanish culture.

Visitors to the second exhibition hall of the Spain Pavilion will find themselves surrounded by giant screens showcasing the kaleidoscope of lives of the common people in Spain.

The video being displayed is a short film produced by veteran Spanish director Basilio Martin Patino who spent a year-and-a-half creating and perfecting the piece. It introduces Spain's accomplishments over the last few decades against the backdrop of various scenes.

The typical moments captured in the film include the hustle and bustle at a train station, models sashaying down a runway showing off the beauty of Spanish designs, and loads of people carrying umbrellas and walking in the rain.

One of the most impressive features of the Spain Pavilion is a giant 6.5-meter cooing "baby" in the third exhibition hall of the pavilion. The giant animatronic baby doll, Miguelin, is the star of the Spanish Pavilion.

It is made from silicon and is remarkably lifelike, and no wonder, it was modelled after a real toddler.

Bubbles float from the ceiling to the floor and child sized interactive stations show the baby's "dreams" of an ideal future.

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